Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1885-1890, 1887-02-19
An Old Novelty
Written for the Tribune By y. II. TINES.

SLti3fti S.ttbOi III q t4tho cANA~1No N"~
the red no stove III the hotel: and with
his usual assumption Of dognatic certainty
had Just delivered the opinion that: IF
YOU want to engage the public attention,
give 'em something new: give EN- some
thing new. sir As if dropped from the
skies as distinct and fiat contradiction. to
his assertion, a man had quietly entered
and was standing at the office. All eyes,
Including those Of the judge, were riveted
upon the stranger, and ii any small Dor
ton of the public attention was ever unanl-
mously engaged, this was the occasion.
While with quiet, impassionless words he
enquired Of the clerk the rate OF day
board, he seemed lost in a dreamy contem-
plation of some very obtruse problem. II
anything which served as a covering for
his anatomical makeup had ever been
near, it must haye been years ago.
Notwithstanding that the temperature
of the outside world was 81 below zero,
he was thinly clad and the blueness Of his
hands and face suggested a recent acqualh-
lance with indigo.
Though he shivered with the cold. his
Giemeanor showed no other sign. His an
dient hat, full OF holes as 4 sieve. lay limp
and wearyiooking on his unkempt locks,
there we're a few hayseeds in his tangled
beard, which, meeting a turned up coat
collar OF a fresher shade than the rest Of
that garment, rendered it an ilnposslblllty
TO form any opinion regarding the status
of his shirt. The coat, whatever its orlgl-
nal color may have been, had faded to that
smoky, greenish hue SC observable III gar
4nents long exposed to the tanning in1iuen-
ces of the sum-, The cuffs were fringed
apparently by the sharp teeth OF rodents.
The elbows were a may fretwork, sur
rounding large irregular holes. His vest,
or what could be seen OF it, was OF doubt
fnl texture and indescribable shade. grease
being the only element about which there
could be any certainty. His o~yeralls had
possibly once been blue, but that was only
suggestions, and founded upon the fact
that some overalls are blue.
Whether he wore boots or shoes could
not be determined, for the india rubber
encasings of his feet though very ragged
gTere very large and much encrusted with
snow.
The crowd gazed at him in supplied 81
ience, and the Judge was plainly getting
himself into position for opening a con
sersation as soon as the stranger should
turn to warm himself at the stove. Hav-
ING received the desired information at the
desk, the sparsely clothed Individual,
without looking to the right or left, noise
Eessly glided across the floor and out into
tile cold, freezing circumambient.
The look of thunderstruck dis"ppolnt.
ment expressed in Judge McBriefs face
was a study. The clerk though accustomed
to meet and observe all kinds OF people
ander all kinds of circumstances was per
picked. a noted wag seated in the group
forbore to comment upon hat, coat or
other vestment. The crowd was silent,
a~umbfounded. One by n they arose
from their chairs and singly disappeared,
The Judge last, and most crushed In spirit
For nearly three hours there was a melan-
eholy gloom in the atmosphere of tilat
hotel office. 1t was somewhat OF the ma
ture Of that Egyptian darkness-it could
be felt.
Dinner was over. The porter as rspor-
ter announced, 'thirtyseven below, an the
wind from the north" No one seemed to
have any business outside. Around the
III cred hot stove a circle was soon formed
Cigars were lit; pipes appeared. Heavy
plugs Of chewing and a few pouches OF
fpe-cut tobacco came into momentarv
view, then vanished. Cnrling clouds Of
smoke sailed around the circle, and then
eddying uncertainty ssreamei through
the ~half-opened stove door and were lost,
Major Canister drew his chair alongside
that of Judge McBrief's, while Doc Cath
cart thanked the judge upon the other
side.
never seen II So cosu any Wliai Sdiu Iile
Major, 'sas it was up to Assinniboine,'
and as a i preparatory emphasis to the com
ing statement, elected a stream of thick
black tobacco juice at a leg of the stove,
Satisfied with the accuracy of his shot, he
proceeded:
"Sixty-three below the mark fur Ligh
onto fifty hours"
.Pretty cold, pretty cold" unused the
Judge, "but when | was a boy, up on the
Iake cow It down TO serentu-fyen